100year plan for new cemetery

By Paul Dunlop
MOVES are afoot to expand Pakenham’s cemetery.
As the population grows, pressure is mounting to find enough resting space for the dear departed.
Cardinia Shire councillors last week started a process that could provide a shortterm fix to the problem.
Under the plan, the cemetery in Thewlis Road would be expanded to take in an unused road that runs along the property.
State Government approval is being sought for the expansion, which could add three or four years to the cemetery’s span.
Councillors said the move would create room for another 200 graves.
“It’s not a longlasting solution by any means, but it’s practical for the time being,” Cr Graeme Legge said.
Cr Brett Owen said it would buy time, but warned the problem was not going away.
“We urgently need to find other sites,” Cr Owen said.
The expansion was first mooted some years ago but put on hold because of the concerns of nearby landholders.
Land in McGregor Road has also been suggested as potentially suitable for a new cemetery.
Pakenham Cemetery Trust chairman Don Duffy said the search continued for land where a new cemetery would meet the community’s needs into the future.
“Our cemetery is more than 100 years old. We need to find somewhere that will cover the next 100 years,” he said.
Mr Duffy said the trust and the council were exploring options.
“The difficulty we’ve got is that Pakenham is a fastgrowing residential area,” he said.
“It’s not an immediate problem because most of the people moving here are young , as the population ages, there is going to be a real need.”
Cr Owen commended the trust on its efforts.
He said he hoped the urgency of the situation would act as a wakeup call to the Department of Sustainability and Environment, which will decide the extension request.